As Trump Says 'Stop The Count,' Hogan Preaches Patience

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Gov. Lary Hogan asked Marylanders to stay patient while election officials finish counting votes. The state has already tallied its early voting and Election Day ballots. Now, it's working through the remaining 608,000 to 794,000 mail-in ballots.

Several local contests are still up for grabs, but the national races already have likely victors. Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) is projected to win Maryland, and every member of the state's Congressional delegation is on pace for re-election.

"I know emotions are running high, but we need to keep faith in the voters and our democracy," Hogan said Thursday on his personal Twitter account. "Let the process work, just like it has every four years for over 200 years."

Hogan's call for patience comes as several swing states continue their tallies. A few thousand votes separate the presidential candidates in those regions, meaning the remaining ballots could decide who wins the White House.

President Donald Trump (R) led in many battleground states on election night, but most of the latest updates added to Biden's totals as huge numbers of mail-in ballots were processed. The Associated Press projects that Biden has secured 264 electoral votes to Trump's 214.

A candidate needs 270 votes to win the presidency. Biden would eclipse that mark if he wins any of the remaining states: Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. By Friday evening, Biden held tight leads in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Trump has asserted that ballots received after Election Day will not be counted. He does not control when states stop accepting votes.

Local laws typically allow states to take ballots until a specified date shortly after the election. These ballots must be placed in a dropbox or postmarked by Election Day, however. That means these added counts are legal.

Still, Trump is angry. He tweeted that Democrats are "trying to STEAL the Election" and demanded that states "STOP THE COUNT!"

Trump's campaign also filed several lawsuits in battleground states, hoping to stop ballot counts and add liberties for those watching vote tallies. The lawsuits have seen a mixed bag of success, but judges have thrown out many of Trump's cases. The few that stuck offered Trump little wiggle room.

"This is a fraud on the American public," Trump said in a speech early Wednesday morning. "We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election."

Nobody has won the election yet. No major news outlet has projected a winner.

Vice President Mike Pence took the stage after Trump's speech, hedging the president's declaration. Pence still predicted that the Republicans would hold onto the presidency, however.

"While the votes continue to be counted, we are going to remain vigilant," Pence said. "We are going to protect the integrity of the vote, but ... I truly do believe, as you do, that we are on the road to victory."

Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) gave similar remarks about two hours earlier. Biden was also optimistic about his chances, but he too said officials must count every vote before announcing a winner.

"We believe we're on track to win this election," Biden said. "It ain't over 'til every ballot is counted."

Like the former vice president, Hogan has been in the "County Every Ballot" camp from the beginning. This does not indicate support for Biden, however.

Hogan does not prefer either candidate, explaining why he wrote in former President Ronald Reagan (R) as his vote for the White House. Despite this, he still vows to honor America's presidential pick, whoever it may be.

The governor on Wednesday released an ad campaign called "Respect The Vote." The $1 million effort features bipartisan messages from Hogan and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). The two politicians encourage Americans to accept the results of the election, regardless of its outcome.

"There is no defense for the President’s comments tonight undermining our Democratic process,"Hogan tweeted Thursday. "America is counting the votes, and we must respect the results as we always have before."

The Maryland State Board of Elections will count all legal mail-in ballots that arrive by Nov. 13. These ballots must have been postmarked or placed in a dropbox by Nov. 3, however. This assures that mail-in voters make their selections by the end of Election Day.

"We're working through the large volume of ballots received and processing them as quickly as possible," the Maryland State Board of Elections tweeted Friday. "We #CountEveryVote and ask for patience while we work in the due time allotted for this process."

Election officials reminded residents that the certified results are never ready on Election Day. The final vote tallies are due by the end of Nov. 13. Every jurisdiction will count, or canvass, ballots until then.

Election officials livestream this process, letting voters keep an eye on the tally. To find you local board of elections and its canvassing livestream, click here.

Voters can also check the status of their mail-in or provisional ballot at this link.

The unofficial results will be updated daily on the state Board of Elections website.

RELATED:

• Election Results: Biden Wins MD, Congressmen Keep Seats
• MD Congressional Election Results: Mfume, Hoyer, Harris, Sarbanes

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